“Australia is one of my favourite places ever to play because you have always gotten the Polyphonic Spree,” gushes The Spree’s frontman and founding member Tim DeLaughter. “Whenever I get a chance to come over there it’s kick-ass for me, the enthusiasm you guys give is kick ass.”
Polyphonic Spree first came out to Australia in 2005, it was for Big Day Out and the feedback from fans and other bands on the lineup was that The Polyphonic Spree’s set was one of the most life-affirming experiences of their lives. These days when reading reviews of the band’s current tour, it doesn’t sound like things have changed for the band. So how does DeLaughter keep a band of between 12 and 20 members all having fun?
“This thing could never seem like a job; it is too magical and too amazing to ever feel like a job. We’ve had people come and go in the group and it’s like I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if it’s the community of the band or the size of it but we always get great people.” Many observers have quipped that the band’s number of members, colourful kaftans and psychedelic aesthetic gives off a cult vibe. While not acknowledging this tongue-in-cheek quip, DeLaughter does admit that there is some kind of inadvertent brainwashing that occurs when one joins The Spree. “I see them change to the ways of The Polyphonic Spree, anyone who is really down is in this band – you kinda need to set your ego at the door because everyone in the band is really amazing. It’s always just worked, it has never been, people think ‘what a nightmare having so many people out there on stage’ but that’s the easiest part of the band, everyone getting along.
“The hardest part is financing the band. If I could be in Australia three months out of the year, there is no question that I would be; if I could afford it I would do it. If I were a five-piece band I’m sure I’d find a way,” admits DeLaughter.
He now delves deeper into the logistics of touring The Polyphonic Spree, “It takes us way longer to get through customs so we always have to be on our toes and get out of shows quick ’cause of the logistics of going from place to place. We’re four bands in one, do the maths; checking guitars and pedal boards and before you know it you spent four hours getting off the plane!” contends DeLaughter wryly.
Despite the difficulty of touring his band, DeLaughter wouldn’t do anything else. The Polyphonic Spree’s latest album Yes It’s True… sounds the most unique out of the band’s entire catalogue (The Beginning Stages of… The Polyphonic Spree 2002, Together We’re Heavy 2004, The Fragile Army 2007). The album effortlessly mixes genres and themes of both light and dark. DeLaughter explains that this album was recorded over five years and most of the songs were written without the intention of ever putting them on an album. “What’s interesting about this record is that there is a lot of firsts on this record which is great for me, because the band has been around for 13 years and this is our fourth studio album; it is the first time I have ever been writing songs without even thinking that they’d go on an album,” establishes DeLaughter. “There was no pressure. We took some time off touring – I mean we were playing one-offs – we just really took some time away and jammed for a couple of years – I even did a project in that time called Pre-teen Genius with the old guitar player from Tripping Daisy and made a record with that. And then we got to a point where we just started jamming until 5am in the morning with a whole bunch of musicians and just having fun and airing it out. During that period I just started writing songs and stocking them away, not really going to write a body of work that you would normally do.”
BY DENVER MAXX
